Podcast Blog – Season 2, Episode 13
“…faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
What better definition of faith could you possibly want than those simple, yet powerful words from the beginning of Hebrews chapter 11?
And that’s just for starters – because from then on, that well-known ‘faith chapter’ unfolds a breathtaking panorama of inspiring, challenging, and sometimes confronting, references to so many who “…through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised, who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength, and who became powerful in battle…”. None of it by their own abilities. All of it by their faith in God.
Yet my reason for highlighting that chapter is that it also serves to emphasise something that, right now, weighs heavily on my heart: the alarming absence of that kind of faith in the lives of so many of God’s people today.
Soon after committing my life to Jesus at age 17, it was a whole new experience to join a church and be immediately embraced as a ‘believer’. There were others there too who were new Christians, and our newfound beliefs gave us some sort of common bond. We believed in Jesus, we believed His Gospel, we believed the Bible, we believed the preaching and the teaching we received. And we loved getting together and sharing about the ways in which we were experiencing God in our lives. Yet none of that would have been a reality to any of us, had we not recently made our own personal faith-responses to God.
But, of course, an ongoing life of faith consists of far more than that first response to Jesus. No matter how liberating and life-changing that may have been it was still only the beginning of new life and of a personal relationship with God. The faith you express at that point is what used to be called saving faith: the faith that initially brings you to God and saves you from your sins.
From then on, it is a matter of living faith: the faith by which you keep on believing. Believing what? The Bible? A set of doctrines? What others say? Your own personal views and opinions? Once you have been ‘born of God’ the one source for everything that follows is your continuing personal relationship with Him. Through that you are drawn deeper and deeper into Him, and you begin to discover the reality of God speaking to your heart.
If as many Christians as diligently read their Bibles and claim to believe what they read, lived by the words God speaks to their hearts, I venture to say His kingdom would have long ago come to this world! Or, at the very least, this world would be alive with those who really believe God in the way so many Christians claim to … but do not!
I don’t say this casually or just to make a point. Our situation today as God’s people is far too critical for that. There is so much at stake – for your own sake, for God’s sake, and for the fulfilment of all He desires for His Church in this world!
“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
You cannot psych yourself into faith. As a young Christian I would try really hard to believe certain things just like people in the Bible believed them. “I'm a Christian now,” I’d say to myself, “I should be able to just read that verse in the Bible, believe it … and live by it!”
But faith does not come by that sort of effort. Faith is alive, faith is active. And faith is your response to God speaking to your heart, personally and intimately.
The Spirit of the Living God comes to those who open their hearts to Him. He stays with those who walk in step with Him. And He always speaks to them in a voice they can hear and a language they can understand.
I know when God is speaking to me personally, but if I feel unsure about any aspect of it I simply ask Him to make it clear … and He always does. Why wouldn’t He? He made each of us in His own image to be His children and to share His life. So completely is He invested in us, that nothing can prevent Him from fulfilling His purpose in each of our lives. Nothing, that is, except our own stubborn wills.
Jesus came into this world to draw each one of us into the same intimate, loving relationship with His Father that He already had. He did that with His disciples, and then just before leaving them to return to His Father, He instructed them to go out into all the world and “make disciples of all nations”. They were to draw others into the same relationship with the God that Jesus had drawn them into.
We all have an eye to the future. As I write this now in Melbourne, Australia, the hour is late and many of those still awake in this large city will be pondering what tomorrow will bring … or maybe what will happen next week, next month, or even next year. We are creatures drawn to looking ahead … but at what? By definition, the future is not yet here. No matter how much we try to know and secure it, there are many potential unknowns. If you don’t have the certainty of God being with you in the future, how do you approach it? At best you can try to be optimistic, identifying things that give you some sense of security … even excitement. At worst, the future is a very scary place, fraught with insecurity and filled with fear.
Which brings us back to this: “Faith is being certain of what we hope for …”. With a particular emphasis on the word ‘hope’ – which has a far more definite meaning in the Bible than in our present-day usage.
We commonly say things like, “I hope you have a good day,” or “I hope things work out,” … or “I hope that doesn’t happen!” I think you would be surprised at how many times on any given day that word is either on your tongue or in your thoughts. Always in relation to a maybe, a longing, or even just a wish.
When it comes to the Bible, though, hope is always about sure things – not what may take place, but what will take place. “…faith is being sure of what we hope for”.
The essence of hope for God’s people is that He makes known to us certain things that are yet to come. He speaks to our hearts about our destiny and purpose, or even about what today or tomorrow will bring. Not as some sort of a premonition, or a fortune-teller’s prediction, but as sure things for us to focus on. They may or may not relate to some specific situation … but what He says to you will always be in the context of your personal relationship with Him.
When you wake each morning, what is the focus of your life? Or, better put, who is the focus of your life? That could sound a bit ‘super-spiritual’ – and it would be if it was asked by someone who ‘talks the talk’ without ‘living the life’. But that’s not where I’m coming from.
The purpose of our existence in this world is to glorify God. “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). There are no words to describe this immense privilege! Mere humans that we are, each one of us has been created to be indwelt by God's Spirit and endowed with the ability to glorify the God of the whole Universe!
How can it be that the Living God has staked His glory on our faithfulness? No one can explain it, yet anyone who lives by the Spirit and walks in step with Him will glorify God. Whether or not it is recognised by others is not the point. What matters is that it will always be recognised by Him.
You express hope whenever you believe God concerning something that is still to come. That hope in your heart is the motivator that keeps you moving forward in faith – knowing beyond any doubt that what God has said to you will take place. Though it may seem impossible, all it needs is for us to believe Him … and to keep on believing Him. Which is the same as being certain of what we do not see! How could it be otherwise?
Yet this too will often take place, not in big dramatic ways but in the quiet strength and simplicity of your personal intimacy with God.
Some Christians fantasize about living by faith and doing great exploits for God, as they seek inspiration from Bible narratives and other people’s experiences and testimonies. Yet none of that relates to their own experience but comes from a desire to feel better about themselves, rather than living for God’s glory.
A life with God is not based on inspiration but on revelation. It does not take you into an unreal fantasy-world but into His world. Though I may not know you personally or anything about you, I confidently address this to you, because this message is fundamental to every person’s relationship with God. You were made for this!
In the Bible, such terms as ‘the word of God,’ ‘the word of the Lord,’ or ‘God’s word’ always refer to God speaking. And when it comes to those who have a relationship with Him, God’s word is what He says to you personally. In whatever way God speaks to you, you will come to know His voice. And His word will be a living, active expression for you to receive, to believe, and to respond to. Anything less will not be a faith response.
No matter how many times you may have read through Hebrews chapter 11, I urge you to do so again. And as you do, let your heart dwell on those stirring, challenging, sometimes graphic, accounts of those who over many centuries accomplished so much in His name … by faith alone.
These were not so-called believers, living safe comfortable Christian lives. They were totally abandoned to God. They had heard His voice. And they lived by every word that proceeded from His mouth to them … just as the Bible says we should be doing!
True believers are those who hear from God, believe what He says to them, and live in the certain hope that whatever He says will be fulfilled. They are sure of what they hope for and certain of what they do not yet see. Without that sure hope in your heart and the certainty that comes from God’s Spirit within you, what sort of ‘Christian life’ could you possibly have? Just look around you at many of those who consider themselves ‘believers’ and you’d be forgiven for thinking their so-called Christian life is more like being on life-support.
The true ‘Christian life’ is a most natural thing for those who yield their lives to God and simply walk step-by-step with Him. Yet, there is no such thing as a generic relationship with God. Your relationship with Him can never be identical with mine, because it is intensely personal for each one of us. The ways through which God chooses to be glorified in your life are unique to your relationship with Him.
There is, however, one imperative that applies to all of us, without exception. We must believe whatever He says, whenever He says it. For without faith it is impossible to please God.